Displaying items by tag: Roger Stone

A STORM FORETOLD

Denmark, 2023, 101 minutes, Colour.

Roger Stone.

Directed by Christoffer Guldbrandsen.

A documentary about notorious presidential adviser, wheeler-dealer, political trickster, campaigner, fixer, Roger Stone. Already, in the first year of the first Trump administration, a documentary about Roger Stone was released, Get Me Roger Stone, a look at his career in previous decades, interactions with Nixon, Reagan, the two Bush presidents, and his connections with Donald Trump.

This present documentary, by Danish director, Chrisoffer Guldbransen, began filming in the late 2010s, the Danish documentary maker interested in the 2016 political campaign for Donald Trump, his advisers and tacticians, his victory and the subsequent years. He decided that a way into understanding these years of American politics was to get to meet, know, understand, film Roger Stone.

This is a frightening documentary, especially in the expose of Roger Stone himself and his willing participation in this documentary, many many warts… It is especially frightening in retrospect, the portrait Stone himself, his wheeler dealings on behalf of Donald Trump, a long litany of dirty tricks, his arraignment for his participation in the Russian influence in the Trump election, going to court, his presumption that he would not be found guilty, the extraordinary support he had from right-wing groups, especially the Proud Boys, many of whom were his security guard. And there was the support of extremist radio personality, Alex Jones.

He was found guilty, an appeal to Trump, his sentence commuted, eventually pardoned.

There is a kind of intermission in the middle of the film, Stone breaking with the director, the director dependent on Danish funds for continuing his film, Stone ridiculing Danish socialism, the director seen going to a gym, excerpts from the surveillance camera, his cardiac arrest and treatment, survival. Then, some sympathy from Stone, and the director’s returning and continuing the film, especially for 2020, Covid, the campaign, and a special focus in anticipation of the loss by Trump, the “Steal the Vote” campaign, the rallies, the media commitment by Stone, the talk about violence, and, the tactic of accusing the Democrats of the kind of behaviour that they would do in revolt had they lost, the very tactics by the Trump supporters and the denial of the loss of the election.

Some graphic excerpts from the January 6, 2021 riots, Stone watching on television and deciding to get out of town to Florida that day.

Stone is certainly a very vulgar man in all ways, supremely confident, seen with his wife, with the various guards, meeting supporters, getting all kind of flattery and affirmation, and always the showman. However, the film ends with Stone and some disillusionment with Trump after January 6, even calling for his impeachment, very strongly.

Perhaps because he is the showman and so confident, he agreed to the making of the film, allowing all kinds of remarks, commenting on the director, often being very frank in his opinions and almost always offensive.

The film was released at the beginning of 2024, at the beginning of the Trump campaign for re-election. Roger Stone was invited to be present at Trump’s second inauguration. But, in the light of Trump’s second term and behaviour, the film becomes even more frightening, not just a look back at the past, but some fears for the future.

American director, Don Partland, made three very significant documentaries about Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s followers: unfit: and the Psychology of Donald Trump, released in 2020 during the first campaign; God & Country, about the religious right and in support of  Donald Trump, 2023); # TRUTH: The Psychology of Trump is in, 2024. A Storm Foretold is a significant documentary accompaniment to these three films on Trump and Trumpism.